Govt
orders CBI probe into Army Chief’s bribe chargeUproar in Parliament, Oppn
demands explanation from govtNew Delhi, March 26The Defence Ministry on Monday
ordered a CBI inquiry into the allegation made by Army Chief General VK
Singh that he was offered a Rs 14-crore bribe by a lobbyist for okaying
a deal to buy some vehicles. Terming it as a “serious” matter,
Defence Minister AK Antony said: “We have to handle it...I have taken
action.” When asked if the Army Chief had informed him about the bribe
offer, he said, "Parliament is in session," indicating that he
would make a formal statement in the House on the issue.

Punjab refuses to hang Rajoana
Badal to meet PM, Prez, seek their interventionChandigarh, March 26
The Punjab Government will not hang Balwant Singh Rajoana, a Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) militant, condemned to death on charges of assassinating former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. Making a statement on the floor of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal cited legal infirmities, constitutional inconsistencies and jurisdictional issues that forbid the government from taking action in the matter.

Chandigarh
skyline in dangerGet
mandatory go-aheads to proceed: HC to Tata CamelotChandigarh, March 26The Punjab and Haryana High Court
today made it clear that the Tata Camelot Housing Project coming up in
Punjab’s Kansal village could proceed further only after grant of
clearances, sanctions, permissions and fulfillment of other
pre-conditions.

MPs
unite to slam Kejriwal’s ‘thieves & rapists’ remarksNew Delhi, March 26Parliament today reacted strongly
to Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal’s “MPs are thieves and
rapists” remarks at yesterday’s fast here, with members cutting
across party lines to tell Hazare and his team not to cross the line.

J-K FAKE ENCOUNTERCBI, Home
Ministry differ on AFSPANew Delhi, March 26The Centre and the CBI have taken
opposing stands in the Supreme Court on the issue of prosecuting Army
personnel involved in the killing of five civilians in March 2000
allegedly in a fake encounter at Pathribal in Anantnag district.

Small
saving schemes interest rates up 0.2%New Delhi, March 26The government today hiked the
interest rates for post office small savings schemes like the Public
Provident Fund (PPF) and the National Savings Certificate (NSC) by 0.2
percentage points. The interest rate on the PPF has been increased from
8.6 per cent to 8.8 per cent, while the new rates on the 5-year NSC have
been revised from 8.4 per cent to 8.6 per cent.

Seoul, March 26
Against the backdrop of South Korea seeking land to set up nuclear reactors in India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asked Korean businesses to help the country expand its nuclear power sector.
"We are committed to increasing energy efficiency and share of
renewables, including solar and nuclear power, in our energy mix," he told a group of Korean CEOs.

US President Barack
Obama meets PM Manmohan Singh in Seoul, South Korea on Monday. —
PTI

The dark side of
fairer sex in Jammu & KashmirJammu, March 26Women are supposed to be the worst
sufferers in trouble-torn Jammu and Kashmir, but the crime figures in
the state paint a different picture. As many as 2,177 women have been
booked or arrested on charges of outraging modesty of other women,
abetting rape, murder, attempt to murder, rioting, drug peddling and
burglary during the past two years. Of them, 2,114 were booked under the
Ranbir Penal Code, while 63 were arrested under various local and
special laws.